TNAG-0403-FCO40-449-Review-of-the-death-sentence-in-Hong-Kong-1973 — Page 58

AR 140

PRIORITY

CYPHER/CAT A

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AGISTRY No. 51NFIDENTIAL

FM FCO 041885Z

OCT 1973

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REF.

CONFIDENTIAL

TO PRIORITY GOVERNOR HONG KONG TELNO 994 OF 4 OCTOBER. 1973.

FROM STUART,

YOUR TELEGRAM NO 1125: DEATH SENTENCES.

1. PRESS REPORTS THAT WE HAVE SEEN SUGGEST THAT LAM PO'S DEFENCE, SUCH AS IT WAS, WAS ONE OF PROVOCATION OR SELF-DEFENCE: BUT THAT IT WAS NOT WORTH TRYING TO BRING WITNESSES TO THIS, SINCE, IF HE WAS ACQUITTED, HE WOULD HAVE TO LIVE WITH HIS FELLOW PRISONERS AND WARDERS FOR THE REMAINDER OF HIS FIRST SENTENCE,

2. IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF YOU COULD COMMENT ON THIS IN SENDING US YOUR PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS, IF THESE ARE THAT THE LAW SHOULD TAKE ITS COURSE, THEN MINISTERS WOULD HAVE EVEN UNDER THE CREECH-JONES FORMULA, TO CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY OF A MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE HOWEVER REMOTE. IN DOING SO THEY WOULD OF COURSE, HAVE TO CONCENTRATE ON THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE PRESENT CASE RATHER THAN OF THE FIRST CNE.

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